STORY HIGHLIGHTS

UK offers 1.49 mln USD to remove land mines in northern Sri Lanka

COLOMBO, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The UK government on Monday announced 1.49 million U.S. dollars' worth of funding to remove land mines in the north of Sri Lanka.

Visiting British Minister for the UN and Commonwealth Baroness Anelay visited the northern Jaffna town and made the announcement.

The funds forms part of a 6.6 millionin-British Pound funding for Sri Lanka announced at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Malta last year.

The UK will fund British demining charity The HALO Trust to remove mines in order to facilitate the return of internally displaced people (IDPs). Through this work The HALO Trust aims to improve the lives of up to 40,000 people in the north.

"Demining is essential to ensure the safety of those returning to their homes and land following the conflict. It is important for displaced people to return as soon as possible in order to rebuild their lives. During my meetings with women's groups and female heads of households in the North, I heard about the difficulties they faced in finding suitable employment and providing for their families," she said.

During her visit to Sri Lanka the minister is to reiterate the UK's commitment to supporting Sri Lanka in strengthening democracy and human rights, including tackling gender-based and sexual violence, delivering reconciliation and combating corruption.

As the British Prime Minister's special representative on preventing sexual violence in conflict, the minister will also raise awareness of the need to tackle the stigmatization of sexual violence and will meet with civil society organizations working on preventing sexual violence.

The British High Commission in Colombo said Baroness Anelay will highlight the importance of female participation in the reconciliation process and the need for comprehensive strategies for tackling sexual and gender-based violence.